In the permaculture garden, naturalness is in the foreground. This does not mean that the garden is left to its own devices, but rather a species-rich, sustainable cultivation that benefits people and nature. How you can achieve this and practice permaculture in the garden yourself is explained below.
In permaculture all existing resources are used
What is permaculture?
Bill Mollison is considered the father of permaculture. In 1978 he co-founded the first institute for permaculture with David Holmgren. The name is made up of permanent and agriculture, i.e. permanent agriculture. Permanent is to be understood here in the sense of sustainability, the creation of self-contained cycles with sensible and respectful handling of nature and its resources while at the same time maximum yield for people. Permaculture involves incorporating and using all existing elements, maintaining or improving soil fertility and biodiversity, and providing habitat and food for birds, insects and other animals. In the meantime, the term permaculture is no longer only used in the garden sector, it also occurs in the energy sector and in the design of social infrastructure.
Animals and nature live together in harmony in the permaculture garden
Bill Mollison defined permaculture as follows: “Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems that possess the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. The philosophy behind permaculture is one that works with and not against nature, a philosophy of ongoing and considered observation rather than ongoing and thoughtless action; it looks at systems in all their functions rather than asking for just one type of output from them, and it allows systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.”
The 12 principles of permaculture
David Holmgren has created 12 permaculture design principles that you can use as a basis for creating your permaculture garden:
1. Observe and benefit
One of the basics of permaculture is to know the existing conditions and plants and to integrate them into the garden. To do this, you should know your soil and the plants and animals that naturally grow in the garden, as well as any gradients, incidence of sunlight and wind patterns.
2. Collect and store energy
Renewable energy sources are often used in permaculture. This includes not only the well-known solar cells and wind and water power, but also the use of solar energy, e.g. to heat water (e.g. in black hoses), in greenhouses or cold frames or to store water.
3. Generate an income
As I said, permaculture is not just about creating a natural garden, but about generating a yield that feeds humans and animals.
4. Create self-regulating cycles
If it is possible to create sustainable cycles, this not only saves a lot of work, it also promotes the natural balance in nature. This is achieved, for example, by growing perennial plants.
5. Use renewable resources
A tree provides shade and is of use to the gardener. If it is felled, it gives wood, but no longer provides shade. It makes more sense to only use parts of the tree as wood so that it can fulfill both functions.
6. Recycle everything, throw nothing away
Garden waste can be used to make compost or to build mounds or raised beds, becoming a valuable resource.
7. Recognize patterns, then create details
In permaculture, the whole system should always be kept in view in order to be able to use and improve it as such. If you know the whole thing, changes can be made within the system without throwing it out of balance.
8. Integration
This point is closely related to the first: it is important to know the system and its parts and how they interact in order to be able to integrate and use them.
9. Find small and slow solution strategies
"Good things take time," as the saying goes, and permaculture shares this opinion. Highly bred, fast-growing plants are low in nutrients and often cannot do without chemicals. In permaculture, life is given time to unfold.
10. Appreciate and promote diversity
Monocultures are susceptible to pests and diseases. Diversity is significantly better protected against gluttonous guests and offers healthier food sources for both humans and animals.
11. Use edge zones
Since permaculture is often used in a small space, it should be used as efficiently as possible. Therefore, peripheral zones should also be valued and used sensibly. Even an allotment garden can become a permaculture garden.
12. Take advantage of change
If something doesn't work, the gardener quickly despairs. But changes are part of life and should be valued and used within the framework of permaculture.
Central elements of a permaculture garden
Over time, central design elements have emerged in permaculture that should not be missing in any permaculture garden. These elements allow the cultivation of very high-yielding plants in a small space, such as:
- mound bed
- raised bed
- potato tower
- herb snail
- Vertical Gardens
- dry stone wall
- rainwater butt
- ponds
- natural hedges
- Use of animals such as ducks, sheep or chickens